a/n: Hey guys! Guess whose back? I'm so sorry that it's been pretty much a month but I am really terrible at self-discipline. But I hope that this is okay. I really like this chapter; it's one that I've been looking forward to for months. (No they're not all going to be friends yet but I planned this chapter a long time ago). Hope that you guys enjoy it and that it made up for the horrible-ness of Chapter 11!
Thanks to: Carla, Emmajfjch, CheekyBrunette, T-Bone14, freakycutiecarlos, Robin-n-Hoodie, Lito-Arumi, Hikari no Kasai, Anonymous Skrtle, bluestring, and DrowningInTheRainbow for reviewing. You guys are the best!
Disclaimer: I don't own BTR, "Better Than You Know Yourself" by Adam Lambert (even if I love that song with all of my heart!) or "More" by Usher.
Chapter 12: Not So Happy Birthday
"DOGS!" I winced as Gustavo yelled loudly in our faces. Again. I've gotten quite used to it over time we've been in L.A, but still... I don't really appreciate being yelled at. Especially by a guy who seems to have five speakers and two mega-phones hooked up to his voice box. Anyway, the four of us were at Rocque Records and in the dance studio. Mr. X had spent about an hour on teaching us a new dance for our newest song and another 2 hours for us to memorize and get the moves down 100%. Now that we could all do the moves perfectly, James and Kendall took it upon themselves to keep themselves as far away from Logan and I as possible; and Gustavo was not too pleased about that. At all.
"WHY are you all so FAR APART?" He questioned loudly. "This song is about friendship and togetherness... SO WHY AREN'T YOU ALL TOGETHER AND ACTING FRIENDLY?" Logan and I shrugged. "It is those two over there," Mr. X said, waving his hand in the general direction of the tallest members of our band. "They moved over to the far side of the room and no matter how many times I told them to move they didn't. It's EXtremely vEXatious." I could tell that Gustavo was losing his almost non-existent patience when he started to rub his temples with two of his meaty fingers. "What about those two?" He asked, pointing to Logan and I. "They are fine," Mr. X replies with a shrug. As Gustavo let out a big puff of air his large chest heaved heavily. "Okay. You know what?" He questioned calmly. "I am going to give you monkey-dogs a few days off. Just so you can fix whatever's wrong with you guys and BE FRIENDS AGAIN!" Then he was stomping loudly out the door, Mr. X at his heels.
"You know guys... Gustavo's right. In his own… weird way," Kelly told us, worry evident in her eyes. "Whatever's going on between your guys is affecting your work and your personal lives. I think it'd be best for everyone if you just put this- whatever THIS is- behind you. Everyone here at the studio misses you guys being friends. And I'm sure that your friends at the Palm Woods do too." Her brow furrowed with concern, her voice laced with the same expression."KELLY!" Gustavo yelled loudly from his office. "GET ME AN ASPIRIN! NOW!" Kelly sighed and began to leave, turning back to us once she reached the doorway. "You boys really ought to think about this. If not for me, for your friends or family... do it for yourselves."
"And then the fish bit off the guy's entire head! It was hilarious!" Logan and I burst out laughing as Stephanie told us about the most recent movie she watched. As my laughter subdued I put my hand to my neck, expecting to feel the coolness of my dog-tag, only to feel like warmth of my neck. I froze, immediately going into panic-mode. There was NO WAY that I could've lost my necklace; it's always with me. I've NEVER NOT knew where it was since I got it. And now I had absolutely no clue as to where it could be.
"Carlos are you alright?" I looked to my left and my eyes met Logan's worried ones. I briskly shook my head., feeling more upset when I didn't hear the subtle jingle of the chain rubbing with the actual tag. "N-no... my necklace. I don't know where it is. Logan I NEED it. That thing is my life!" My eyes began to look frantically around the pool, searching for anything silver and shiny.
"Carlos?" I didn't respond. I just continued my pursuit for my necklace, pausing briefly then exhaling angrily when I mistook an earring for my necklace. "CARLOS!" This time I turned my head to face Logan, my eyes glazed over and unfocused. "You have to calm down now," he told me. "I can't Logan. I lost it- I don't know where it is... it's one of the last things I have of them," I pleaded, my voice raising an octave then going back down and into a whisper. "I know, but freaking out isn't going to help at all. So let's calm down and carefully look for it okay?" Logan spoke in a slow tone, as if talking to a young child. In any other situation I would have been extremely ticked off thy he was talking to me in such a way, but right now I was more concerned about other things. I nodded and he did as well. "Good. Now did you check your pockets?" I shook my head and checked all four of them, only to come up empty-handed. "Logan, it's not in any of them! Where is it?" Despite the fact that I felt myself practically descending into madness Logan kept up his tranquil facial expression. "I don't know right now bud. But we're going to find it."
We actually didn't end up finding it. It was really hard for me to deal with at first. I've become so accustomed to having it with me at all times that not feeling it dangling around my neck has me on edge. Logan and Stephanie have been trying to calm me down. It's kind of been working but I don't think that I'll be completely calm until I have my necklace with me; safe and sound.
"Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up..." When I awoke I noticed two things. One: someone was repeatedly bouncing up and down on my bed, and two: that same person was repeatedly telling me to wake up. I was barely up for 10 seconds and I was already annoyed and cranky. Not a very good way to start the day.
"I'm up Stephanie. You can stop now," I moaned tiredly. She looked down to me from her standing position on the bed. "Oh, good." She then found it appropriate to fall to her knees... right on top of my stomach, causing me to grunt in pain. "Ow," I groaned. "Sorry," she apologized, to which I mumbled something unintelligible in response. We both lay (or sat) there in silence for a few moments. "Um, Stephanie it's not that I don't enjoy your company but... why are you here? And so early in the morning?" I asked, trying not to sound too rude. She laughed loudly, her head flying back, making her look kind if crazy. "I'm here to wake you up... and to be the first one to wish you a happy birthday! Plus it's not that early. It's like... 10:15." Oh yeah. October 19th... my birthday. "Oh. Thanks," I said, managing a small smile. '10:15,' I thought. 'So much for sleeping in.' "No problem. Anything else?" she asked. "Uh, yeah one more thing... how'd you get into the apartment?" She shrugged. "Logan let me in." WHY ON EARTH WOULD HE DO THAT? DOESN'T HE KNOW THAT I'M NOT A MORNING PERSON? I sighed. "Okay. Well would you mind getting off of me? Please?" When she did, I immediately stretched out my muscles, some bones cracking, causing me to wince.
"Soooo... What'cha planning to do on this special day?" Stephanie asked, drawling out the word. By now I had stood up and was picking out what I was going to wear. I decided on a white T-Shirt with blue sleeves that reached my elbows and a short blue neckline. It's been 2 weeks since the last hospital visit and in that span of time my arm had healed and the scar was beginning to heal as well. The news yesterday said that it was going to be kinda hot today so I decided on black knee-length shorts and my dark grey Vans to go along with my shirt.
"Um... nothing much. I think I'm just gonna hang by the pool today. Just chill, I guess," I shrugged. Stephanie shook her head violently, making her look crazy again. "Not anymore! You promised me last month that you'd teach me how to play Black Ops!" I looked at her as if she'd grown an extra head. Really? Of all days she chose TODAY to decide that she wanted to play? "Seriously? I really just wanted to be by the pool today," I pleaded. "And you will... it'll just be after you teach me how to play. Come on please? I need to beat my brother!" I sighed in defeat, deciding not to argue any longer, knowing that I'd lose anyway. "Fine," I said, rubbing my hand over my still slightly tired face. Stephanie clapped excitedly. "Yes! Now shower, get dressed and I'll make you breakfast. And then when you're finished eating we can play!" I nodded slowly, wondering what she could've possibly put in her own breakfast to make her act like... me. "Wait... you're going to make me breakfast? Steph I don't think that's such a good idea."
"It's fine- I can do it. I'm capable of doing more things than being loud, annoying and making movies y'know. Now go. Go, go, go," she urged, pushing me into the bathroom. "And don't take too long!" she shouted, slamming the door behind me. I sighed loudly. So far, today was not my day.
When I was finished my shower I was met with the aroma of French toast, eggs, and cheese as I exited my room and entered the kitchen. "What is that heavenly smell that invades my senses?" I questioned loudly, the shower improving my mood greatly. Stephanie chuckled. "That would be the scent of my world famous French toast and cheese omelet," she boasted, looking smug. "And it's all for you." I smiled thankfully at her. "Thanks Steph. But you didn't have to do all of this," I insisted, taking a seat at one of the bar stools. "It's no problem. And I wanted to. It's the perfect way to give you a birthday gift while making sure that you're eating," she replied while setting a plate full of French toast and a cheesy omelet. I rolled my eyes before I licked my lips, my stomach rumbling greedily. "Well don't just sit there and stare at it!" Stephanie ordered. "Dig in!" I immediately complied, grabbing the fork and knife she had also set down for me. Stephanie laughed for what seemed like the millionth time that morning. "Do you want milk, apple juice, or orange juice?" she asked, looking in the fridge. "Aurnahr jooce," I told her, my mouth full if food. "WHAT?" Stephanie asked, obviously confused. I chewed some more before swallowing. "Orange juice please," I said, smiling sheepishly. She nodded hesitantly. "Yeah... of course." She got a cup and poured me a glass of OJ. I nodded in thanks, Stephanie nodding back.
Soon enough I was finished with my breakfast. "Alright, let's get cracking," I exclaimed, rubbing my hands excitedly. "Yes!" Stephanie shouted, jumping on the couch next to me. "Let's play some Black Ops!"
"Are we done now?" I questioned tiredly. Stephanie and I had been playing Black Ops for 3 hours straight. Meaning that now, it was 12:30 P.M. My eyes were starting to burn and all I wanted to do was STOP! "No! I still have to kill this guy!" Stephanie shouted, crouching on the couch, moving with the controller. "Besides, I thought you were used to playing video games for hours at a time- HEY! HEY! THAT IS A FOUL!" Stephanie began to reason with me, but then someone on the opposite team shot her from behind. "Yeah, but usually I take breaks. You haven't even let me go to the bathroom!" I argued. Suddenly her phone rang, and the chorus of "Better Than I Know Myself," by Adam Lambert started to play. She grumbled under her breath but paused the game and answered anyway.
"Hello?" She said. "Oh hey!... Really? Yeah that's perfect... okay, I'll do my best... yeah... Alright, I'll see you soon. Bye!" She then hung up but proceeded to play after un-pausing the game. "I think you're right, we should head outside." I had to refrain from jumping up and down on the couch like a freak. Instead I just raised a quizzical eyebrow. "What changed your mind?" I inquired, honestly curious. "Jo just invited me to the pool. And she said that it's prime tanning time and that I'm looking a little pale," she explained, looking down at her arm briefly. "And I think she may be right. So after I get killed, we'll head downstairs." Right as she said that she died. She groaned in anger and fell back onto the couch and into a sitting position. She lolled her head over in my direction. "Let's head to the pool." I cheered and quickly turned off the game, not bothering to put away the controllers. I hastily stood and grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the apartment, making sure that she closed the door behind her. I raced to the elevators, Stephanie still stuck in my grasp and trying to keep up. When we reached the elevator I came to an abrupt stop, causing Stephanie to crash straight into me. I wasn't fazed though. I just repeatedly pressed the down button, willing the metal contraption to arrive sooner.
"The elevator isn't going to come any faster if you do that," Stephanie informed me, rubbing her head. "You never know. Besides I need to get outside. The Vitamin D is calling my name," I told her. "Well the sun's not going anywhere," she said just as the elevator's doors opened. I pushed her in and bounded inside myself. I pushed the 'L' button, soon after pushing the button with two arrows facing each other- the close button. The doors closed slowly and the metal box gradually brought us down. I
bounced some more as we made our way to the lobby. "Come on, come on, come on," I urged, staring at the doors as if that would make them open sooner. "Carlos-" Stephanie was cut off when the elevator doors opened and I once again grabbed hold of her arm. "Wait!" She shouted, making me stop unexpectedly again. "What?" I whined, stomping my foot like a child while crossing my arms. "Camille texted me," she replied simply. I stood there, mouth agape. I'll never understand girls and frankly, I think trying to will be too much work. She pulled out her phone. "It says..." she begun, pushing me closer to the pool.
"SURPRISE!" There, in the pool area was almost everyone from the Palm Woods. Many of which had noisemakers that they blew after surprising me. Others sprinkled confetti and released silly string all over the place. Closest to us were Camille, Katie, Jo, Rachael and Logan. "What... what is this?" I was in complete shock. There were colorful balloons and streamers everywhere. There was also a huge banner that said "Happy Birthday Carlos!" in a variety of bright colours. Further away from the pool was a GIGANTIC bounce house. It was so big it looked like it could fit about 100 people. About 20 feet away from it was a grill/barbecue. There was food everywhere and a huge table full of presents. On the table was also a boom-box hooked up to two large stereos.
"What does it look like silly?" Stephanie asked from beside me. "It's a surprise birthday party for you!" I looked at her in complete and utter shock. "But why?... A-And how?" Stephanie just face-palmed as I stuttered. "Because you deserve it buddy. Everybody thought so. Now stop asking questions, because we have another surprise for you." She began to gently push me closer to the pool. She led me to where the same large screen that premiered our "City is Ours" music video. "Now Bitters!" Stephanie shouted. Out of nowhere Mr. Bitters appeared. He had a party hat on his head and a noisemaker in his mouth. "Happy Birthday," he muttered, blowing the noisemaker in my face. Despite the spit I felt on my face, I laughed. "Thanks." He turned towards the screen, remote in hand. He pressed a button on the remote and suddenly my family appeared on the screen. I had to put a hand on my mouth to keep from crying and/or gasping.
"Hi Carlos!" They exclaimed. My Grandma Maria, my brother Luke and my sister Marissa. They were all huddled closely together, probably making sure that they were all viewed on the screen. "Hi guys," I said, once I moved my hand from my mouth. "Happy Birthday!" they shouted at once. "Thanks. How'd you arrange all this?" Marissa smiled. "Logan called us about a week and a half ago. He said that he and all your friends were organizing a party for you. Then he recommended that we do this. We agreed on a time that worked for everybody and now... here we are!" I smiled and looked at Logan. He just blushed and looked down. I made a mental note to thank him later.
"Just look at you Carlos- you've gotten so big! And you've gotten even more tan! Is that even possible? I mean you're already Latino," my Grandma of course had to go on and ramble about everything. I couldn't even bring myself to roll my eyes. I missed her so much that I actually wanted her to ramble. "Actually seeing the sun tends to do that Grandma." Some people chuckled. "Then we should visit some time. Oh by the way, did you get that package I sent you?" I nodded. "Yup." She smiled. "Good. Because it had new, expensive underwear in there." I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment when I heard every person laugh. Loudly. Thanks Grandma. "Grandma..." I whined. "Sorry, sorry," she apologized. I smiled, showing her that it was OK.
"Alright, I can't take it anymore- dude how on Earth do have all these girls that close to you on their own account?" Luke asked, looking absolutely incredulous. Before I could give a response Stephanie and Camille had each taken hold of one my arms- Stephanie on the left and Camille on the right. Jo and Rachael were on their flanks. "How could we not be so close to Carlos?" Stephanie asked, making herself look extremely flirtatious. "I know right?" Camille inquired running one of her hands up and down my arm. "He's so cute," she told Luke. "And hot," Rachael added. "And funny," Jo included. "Nice," Stephanie said. They all looked at each other mischievously. "And muscular," they concluded, giggling like young school girls. By now I could tell what they were doing and decided to play along. "Thanks girls," I said, looking at each of them. I then glanced back up at the screen where Luke's jaw was dropped but Marissa and my Grandma had knowing looks in their eyes. Those girls were too smart. "What Luke? You jealous?" Luke just stared at me as if I was crazy. "Well of course I'm jealous! You've got hot girls hanging onto you from every corner!" I winked at him. "Hm... You seem to be right. I guess that means it's an off day today." Luke face-palmed. "OK, what is wrong with you girls? Do you have mental disorders? Or you're blind? Stupid? Oh, oh I know! The water in the pool is infected and when you got in it-" His voice was muffled when Marissa clamped a hand over his mouth. "Yeah, yeah save it. Don't worry about him ladies; he's a loser. How's life in Hollywood been little bro?" I laughed as Luke continued talking behind my sisters hand. "It's been pretty good. The band's getting really popular really fast and I can't really complain. Life has been good. Still missing you guys a bunch though." Marissa and Grandma smiled softly. "We miss you too. And I think you're getting famous faster than you realize. I'm always hearing girls talk about you guys, practically swooning." Luke took that moment to push Marissa's hand off of his mouth.
"Practically?" The girls at my school spend more time looking at your posters than looking at me. That is completely insane. I mean, hello, have they seen this face? I'm incredible!" Luke asked rhetorically, seemingly infuriated. "Yeah incredibly stupid. And I think that they have. They've also probably seen that nasty thing in your teeth..." Luke shrieked and jumped up, picking at his teeth. "Relax dude," I said with a laugh.
"I'm just messing with you." He sat down with a loud huff. "Well it's not very funny." I smiled. "Sorry bud." Suddenly a bark was heard and a dog appeared on the screen, causing many of the girls to "aww" fondly.
"Roxy!" I exclaimed. Roxy was a West Highland white terrier. She was small and fluffy and just as energetic as me. She was the dog that my Grandma got us after our first dog Sparky (who was a golden retriever) died after Luke gave him some chocolate. I've never fully forgave him for that yet and I don't think that I ever will.
Roxy barked in reply and went to lick the webcam, only to be pulled back by Luke. "You can't kiss him, he's miles away. Plus you're gonna smudge up the camera." I smirked. "You're just jealous that girls aren't the only ones that want to kiss me," I stated smugly to which Luke rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah just give me a few years and the ladies will be all over me," he announced proudly. I just snorted loudly. "You already hit puberty. You're not gonna grow much taller or get any better looking. So don't get ahead of yourself," I informed him. "Whatever. Don't you worry, girls love me anyway." Just then Roxy bit his hand. "OW!" He screeched.
"Well," Marissa said while laughing. "I think that settles it. Look, we've all got to get going now." I sighed but gave a small smile. "Okay." Marissa smiled back. "Call us back later, alright?" I nodded. "Yeah, totally." Luke pushed Marissa out of the way and got so close to the camera that the only thing you could see was his head.
"And ladies, if you want to call me, dial-" He was interrupted when he was pulled back by Grandma. "Stop trying to seduce these older women that you don't even know! What did I tell you about that? Deja de ser un pervertido! No intentar seducir a las mujeres de más edad, he planteado que es mejor que eso!" Marissa and I laughed loudly while Luke blushed. Everyone else looked confused and it made me laugh even louder. "Alright guys I'll talk to you soon," I said, waving rapidly. "Bye Carlos!" They shouted, waving back. "Love you!"
"Love you guys too!" Marissa leaned in slightly and then the screen went blank. I turned around and saw everyone just standing there, some appearing slightly awkward. Now that won't do will it? I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted: "What are you guys waiting for?" They all turned to me, looking surprised. "LET'S PARTY!" Everyone cheered and clapped, others blowing their noise makers. Instantly the boom-box turned on, and loud party music blasted through the speakers that it was hooked up to. I smirked as I saw everyone begin to party. "That's better."
"You're family is so cute," I whirled around and saw Jo, Camille, Rachael, Stephanie and Logan approaching. I recognized the voice that spoke as Jo's. I scoffed and rolled my eyes. "I guess that's one way to put it. But it was really good to see them again. Even if it was via Skype," I explained, earning chuckles out of them.
"You're brother is... something else," Rachael commented, flipping her curly hair out of her face. "And that's the nice way of putting it," I added. "Face it; he's a perverted freak." The others seemed to try not to agree. "Not perverted..." Camille started. "Just... interested." I snorted. "Yeah. So interested that my Grandma almost got him enrolled into an all-boys boarding school. My sister and I had to convince her that it was just a phase and that sending him there wouldn't solve anything; just make him crave girls more or begin to crave... guys," I admitted, my friends wincing. "Yeah... she changed her mind a little after that." They nodded in understanding.
"Hey thanks for doing all this guys. It really means a lot," I said earnestly. Stephanie came over and slung an arm over my shoulder. "It's no problem. And like I said; you deserve it. Plus, we wanted to get you out of your funk," she told me, punching my temple lightly, earning a chuckle out of me. "Yeah well it worked. This is amazing; I love it so much. And I cannot wait to try out that bounce house!" I exclaimed. "That one was Jo's idea," Camille said with a smirk aimed at the blushing blonde. I reached over slightly and slung my left arm over Jo's right shoulder. "Well that makes Jo awesome. Now let's get partying!" I shouted, running off towards the bounce house.
I stopped in my tracks when I saw Gustavo and Kelly coming near. "Hey guys," I said, jogging towards them. "What are you doing here?" I questioned, cocking my head to the side. "I thought you wanted us back at the studio by Tuesday." She nodded. "Yeah well we came to quickly drop by to give you these!" Kelly exclaimed with a bright smile. From behind her back she pulled out two presents and pushing them towards me, silently asking me to take them. I reached out and gently took them from her. "Thanks. But you didn't have to do this; seriously." Kelly smiled again. "We know. But we wanted to. Right Gustavo?" She asked, turning to the large man, who just grumbled in reply. "Right Gustavo?" Kelly inquired tightly again, this time elbowing him harshly in the gut. Holding his stomach in pain he wheezed out a response. "Right. We uh... we wanted to give you presents... for your birthday. Happy birthday." I smiled fondly at his awkwardness. "Thanks Gustavo. Thanks Kelly." Kelly nodded. "It's no problem at all. Hey we gotta head back to the studio now. Have a good birthday okay Carlos?" I nodded back. They turned to leave before an idea popped into my head. "Hey Kelly!" She whirled around. "Would you and Gustavo mind staying just for a little bit? There's something that I want to try with you guys." Kelly looked apprehensive. "I don't know Carlos. We really have to go." I knew that if I wanted to have this go my way, I'd have to pull out the big guns. So I made my eyes really big and pushed out my lower lip, making it quiver. "Oh no please don't do that..." Kelly pleaded. I just continued to make the "Face that Causes Pure Evil and Destruction that Almost Never Ends Well" as Logan calls it. After about 12 seconds she caved. That's a new personal record. "Okay fine. What is it?" I dropped my facade and smiled. "Hold on," I ordered. I quickly raced over to the gift table, carefully put down the two neatly wrapped presents, and then made my way back over to them. "Follow me."
We crossed the pool area and I stopped in front of the bounce house. I turned around with a large smile and saw that the two of them were looking at the bounce house with eyes as wide as saucers. "No. No, no, no, no, no. Carlos NO. We can't." I smiled at her. "Of course you can! Come on please? Just for a little while- 5 minutes. Then you can leave," I pleaded, ready to bring out the Puppy Dog eyes again if necessary. Kelly closed her eyes and let out a big breath. "Fine," she agreed, opening her eyes. I let out a cheer and gave an energetic fist pump. "Yes! Take off your shoes and let's get in!" I kicked off my shoes and Kelly did the same. I hopped into the bounce house and helped Kelly in herself.
"Come on Gustavo!" I yelled, jumping slightly. The producer shook his head with fervor. "No," he said shortly. "Not. A. Chance. I'll be waiting over here when you children are done with your immature activities." He started o walk away before Kelly grabbed his arm.
"Oh no. If I'm doing this, then you are too," she claimed. "Now take off your shoes," the assistant ordered. "No I'm not going to-" Gustavo was interrupted when Kelly shouted loudly. "I SAID TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES!" Seemingly scared, Gustavo took off his shoes, much to the amusement of me and the few other people in the bounce house.
After Gustavo took off his shoes Kelly and I helped him inside of the bounce house. "Now let's bounce!" I hollered, jumping into the middle of the bounce house along with the other Palm Woods residents. We were all laughing and having fun, Kelly joining us soon after. When I turned my head however, I noticed that Gustavo was just standing in a corner, arms crossed and looking grumpy. 'Now that won't do will it?' I sprung over to large man quickly.
"What'cha doing all the way over here Gustavo?" I asked innocently, even though I knew exactly why he was alone in a secluded corner. "I'm waiting for you two to be done hopping around like idiots so Kelly and I can go back to the studio," he told me bitterly. "I bet if you come and jump with us the time will go by even faster," I said happily. He growled. "No thanks." I grabbed one of his chubby hands. "Oh come on Gustavo," I pleaded, tugging on the hand. "It's lots of fun," I assured, still bouncing slightly. "No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Please?"
No!"
"Pretty please with cherries and sprinkles and fudge on top?"
"Fine! Just... stop talking...please." I smiled and pulled Gustavo to where everyone were still jumping. I joined them after letting go of my boss's hand. Though he was in the midst of excitement and laughter Gustavo continued looking irritated.
"Come on Gustavo, you promised!" I whined. "Just jump." He grumbled and reluctantly bounced on his toes. I smiled widely. "Yeah! Just like that! Now try jumping lowly- close to the ground." Gustavo gradually did so, a small smile appearing on his face. "Awesome!" Soon everyone was surrounding Gustavo as he jumped, cheering him on.
"Okay Carlos this was really fun, but we have to head back to the studio now," Kelly said with a smile on her face, slightly out of breath. "Awwww," Gustavo and I whined. "Do we have to?" Gustavo asked, now full of energy. Kelly chuckled and shook her head good-naturedly. "Yeah. Sorry guys but there's work that need to be done. Come on Gustavo. Maybe you can write a song about a bounce house now." A grumbling Gustavo followed Kelly out of the bounce house, each slipping back on their shoes. "We'll see the four of you on Tuesday. Have a happy birthday!" I waved as they began to walk away. "Thank you! And thanks for coming by!" After they left I spent a good 15 more minutes inside the bounce house before deciding to get something to eat.
I exited the inflatable toy before I slipped on my shoes and walked over to the grill that was being stationed by Guitar Dude.
"Hey G.D!" I exclaimed, giving him a smile. He looked towards me from behind his ever-present sunglasses. A contented smile appeared on his face.
"Oh hey birthday dude! Happy b-day!" He said in his usual drawl. "Thanks. What'cha got there? I'm starving!" I asked him, rubbing my hands together in anticipation, my stomach also rumbling loudly as if to prove my point. "I've got burgers, hot dogs, shish-kabobs with veggies, and all meat shish-kabobs," he told me. "Take your pick." I put a hand on my chin, tapping it a few times with my index finger. "I think I'll take a burger... or two and a kabob with veggies please," I requested, looking mischievous. He let out an airy laugh, his Adam's Apple bobbing up and down. "Two burgers and a veggie kabob, coming up!" He threw two frozen hamburgers and a long wooden skewer with meat and veggies on it onto the grills and soon enough they were ready. He placed them on a plate and handed it to me. "The buns and condiments are over there little birthday dude," he informed me, pointing behind him where indeed, a small table of hamburger and hot dog buns were located, along with ketchup, mustard, relish and other condiments. "Thanks Guitar Dude. See you later!" I said, heading over to the table. "Bye dude!" He replied, then began to talk to some girl that appeared next to him.
When I got the table, I picked up two pairs of hamburger buns and put the hamburgers in them. On each I added ketchup, mustard, lettuce, and cheese. With the ketchup I wrote my initials, the mustard overlapping it. I decided not to put anything on the kabob. Picking it up and taking a bite, I scanned the scene. Many people were still on the bounce house. Others were dancing to the music while some chatted with their friends, a good set of them eating something. I saw a lounger that wasn't being used and hurried over to it before it became occupied.
I sat on the light blue lounger and put down the skewer down onto the plate, the piece of food having being eaten. After taking a bite from one of my hamburgers, I started bobbing my head lightly to the music as "More" by Usher came on. I sang along to the lyrics in my head as I chewed. I was startled when a pair of hands covered my hands.
"Who is using their hands to cover my face?" I asked dumbly after swallowing. "Guess," a voice that I'd recognize anywhere said. "...Jennifer?" She took her hands off of my eyes. "Yup." I looked behind me and saw blonde Jennifer. I was confused, especially when the other two Jennifers appeared at her flanks. "Look, it's your birthday and the Jennifers and I decided that we wanted to give you a present," the blonde Jennifer said.
"But it's a one-time thing," brunette Jennifer told me, holding up one of her index fingers as if to prove her point. "So don't expect it to happen again," curly-haired Jennifer concluded.
"But what-" I was interrupted when each of the Jennifers kissed me. On the lips. They all pulled back, a smirk on each of their faces. "Happy birthday Carlos," blonde Jennifer said, before they all walked away. I just stared after them in shock, a stupid, contended smile slowly developing on my face. "Best. Birthday. Ever."
When I snapped out of my temporary trance I finished eating and threw my plate into the already over-flowing trashcan.
Just when I was contemplating on what to do, the singing of a familiar tune caught my attention.
"Happy birthday to you!" I looked up and saw Logan and Stephanie holding a large purple cake that read: "Happy 17th Birthday Carlos!" in yellow letters. As they continued to sing everyone else slowly began to join in.
"Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Carlos! Happy Birthday to you!" By now Logan and Stephanie had reached me and stood directly in front of me.
"What are you waiting for?" Logan asked. "Blow out your candles!" I chuckled before I did so, all of the little flames diminishing. "Good. Now let's have some cake!" he exclaimed, earning multiple cheers. I followed Logan and Stephanie as they carefully made their way over to the food table, where a big gap was. They placed the cake on the table where the gap was. I hopped from foot to foot as Logan cut the cake up into equal slices. He seemed to have noticed me because he paused and turned to me. "Calm down Carlos, the cake isn't going anywhere," he stated with a laugh. "I know but it looks so good!" I drawled, my mouth practically watering at the sight. Logan laughed again. "Yeah well here," he said, passing me a plate with a large slice of vanilla cake on it. "Enjoy." I smiled widely and took a plastic fork from the table. "Thanks Logie!" I shouted, rushing off and towards my sun lounger again.
After shoveling down my cake I relaxed in the sun for a while before heading over to the stereos and dancing with a few friends to the various melodies that played.
Before I knew it the time had flew by and it was almost 5:30. I walked up to Logan after spotting him and interrupted his conversation with Camille by pulling him into a headlock. He never got a chance to even exclaim in surprise because I beat him to the punch.
"Thanks for organizing everything with my family. It really means a lot to me," I admitted, giving him a noogie while he remained in a headlock.
"It's no big deal," he choked. His voice was a little strained and I knew that it was from the force of my arm digging in his neck. "I knew that you were missing them and it was your birthday so I decided that it would be a perfect present. It was a way that you could see your family, your family could see you and so I wouldn't have to buy you anything. Now please... let me go," with a chuckle I did so and Logan immediately stretched and adjusted his neck. "Darn Carlos," he croaked, rolling his head around weirdly. "You're grip has gotten even stronger dude. You need to stop with those steroids," he joked. I lightly punched his shoulder. "No drugs for me bro," I explained. "It's all muscle." I flexed my arms causing both Logan and Camille to laugh. "Oh and by the way, do you know if we have any more cake?" I inquired, knowing that I looked anxious. "Uh, maybe. You'd have to check it out quickly because it was attacked... like ravaged." I looked up at him nervously. "How ravaged?" I asked. "Like you when you see a table of freshly-made corn-dogs." I gasped and ran over to the table, yelling a quick "thanks" over my shoulder. Luckily there were only three slices left. I put the one closest to me onto a clean plate and picked up another fork. I plunged the utensil into the pastry and sighed in content when it reached my taste-buds.
"Life is good."
After finishing up my cake I re-entered the lobby after over 5 hours of being outside. I strode over to where Stephanie and the other girls (and Logan) were talking. I plopped down into a chair next to Stephanie and took the drink that she had in her hand, taking a swig from it. She scrunched up her face before giving me a dirty look.
"Dude!" She whined, taking the cup after I offered it back to her. "You just gave me your nasty cooties," she informed me, slapping my chest. I winced at the force she used, gently running a hand over the area. "Sorry," I apologized. "I was thirsty." She rolled her hazel eyes at me. "Oh and you couldn't get yourself a drink before you came and dropped your big butt over here?" She questioned, to which I scoffed. "No, I couldn't. And I do not have a big butt... it's a sexy butt," I claimed with a smirk, causing everyone to burst out laughing. "Whatever," Stephanie giggled.
"So how're you enjoying your party so far Carlitos?" Camille asked. "It's totally awesome. I seriously don't know how to thank you all for this," I answered.
"No thanks are needed," Rachael said. "Just seeing you smile is thanks enough," Jo added. Katie scoffed out loud. "Speak for yourselves. I'll take my money in cash please," she told me, holding her hand out, palm up. I reached over and gave her a high-five. "There ya go. 5 dollars in cash." All of our laughter was interrupted when suddenly I felt a piece of cake in my unsuspecting face.
A loud, collective gasp escaped from not only me but from anyone else who had seen the affair. Which I guessed from the volume of the gasp was almost everyone in the lobby. I raised a tentative hand and wiped the cake away, uncaringly flicking onto the ground. I looked up and saw James there, smirking. I honestly expected it to be Tyler playing a small prank on me. Him and I would always do things like that, playing small jokes on one other when we were bored or when the perfect moment came up. So naturally I was surprised when I saw James looking down at me.
"Happy Birthday." I felt Stephanie get ready to jump up but I held her down with my clean hand. But that didn't stop her from talking.
"What the hell James? What's your problem?" James just shrugged, the same smirk plastered on his tan face.
"I think you missed a spot James," another voice noted from behind me. Before I got a chance to investigate I was drenched with a freezing cold liquid. After the "shower" was finished I opened my eyes and saw Kendall appearing beside James, giving the latter a high-five. He turned away from the brunet and looked at me. "Aw did the birthday boy get all wet?" He asked me with a fake empathetic voice. I just continued to look up at him in disbelief. Out of anything Kendall has ever done to anyone this was by far the lowest. "Oh wait, I forgot something," he exclaimed. "You're gonna love it," he assures as he dug around in his pocket. He continued searching for a few seconds before pulling out something silver. When he fully exposed it I immediately recognized it as my lost necklace. Or stolen necklace I should say. "Here," he said, tossing it at me. "Happy birthday," he added, laughing, James soon joining him.
I picked up the necklace, looking at it briefly before looking back up at Kendall. I hastily put it on, trying to keep my temper at check. I couldn't believe that they actually had the nerve to do this to me. They knew exactly how much this necklace meant to me. That's probably why they took it in the first place. My jaw clenched and my hands went into fists, opening and closing repeatedly. I could hear Stephanie trying to calm me down but it only sounded like mumbles. I closed my eyes tightly, opening them soon after. By now Kendall and James were looking back at me. Kendall must have noticed my fists and my angry expression because be decided to comment on them.
"Oh look James, he's getting mad," he told his friend, obviously amused. Suddenly he leaned down until he was face-to-face with me. "You want to punch me?" He questioned, looking smug. "Well then go ahead... I dare you," he said tauntingly. Inside of me, something snapped. I knew at that moment that I had cracked. After all the months of torment I had to go through, something inside of me had finally cracked. Taking the blonde up on his offer I swung my arm back, my fist making harsh contact with his jaw. Kendall stumbled back, clenching his cheek. Blood dribbled from his nose and he looked at me with disbelief.
"What the hell Carlos?" His usually warm green eyes were blackened with anger. I've seen the look a thousand times. It was the look he gave anyone who messed with his friends. I've never been on the receiving end of the look but at this point I really didn't care.
"You told me too," I countered, my hands still in fists. He wiped the blood off of his face before turning back to me. "Yeah well I didn't think that you were actually gonna do it," he replied. "I didn't think that you were that much of an idiot..." I was up in an instant but before anything could happen Logan was holding me back, James doing the same with Kendall. "What's your problem?" He asked. I let out a humourless laugh.
"My problem?" I repeated bitterly. "Hmm, let's go down the list shall we? My problem is that 4 and a half months ago my best friends all teamed up on me and left me alone and feeling worse than I ever have before. Even though one apologized the other two are still making my life feel like hell and there's nothing I can do about it! My problem is that just when my life feels like it's going well you and James decide to go and mess it up! Both of my parents are dead and you guys took one of the last things I had of them and played a sick joke on me by giving it back on the best birthday I've had. I can't trust you guys ever again. THAT is my problem Kendall." My face was heated and my chest was heaving at a rapid pace. But I didn't care; all I cared about was getting my point across to Kendall.
"Well I'm sorry that you're so messed up," Kendall replied, an eye roll going along with it. "I'd help you but... frankly I don't want to," he admitted with a shrug. By this point I was seething. I attempted to get out of Logan's grasp but he pulled me back, his grip tightening around my wrists.
"Kendall when are you going to realize that not everything is about you?" I asked through gritted teeth. "In case you haven't noticed, there are over 7 billion other people on this planet, and not all of them are names Kendall Knight and have blonde hair and green eyes and a bad attitude. Everyone else has feelings, just like you do. And right now, I feel really pissed off. But you know what? I'm done. I'm done being angry and I'm done dealing with jerks like you and James because they only lead me to things like this. I'm done being misguided and lied to. So right now I'm fine with you guys hating me and not being my friends ever again because my life is just fine the way it is. And if you decide to have at least a little bit consideration towards other people, I'd really appreciate it if you just left me alone. I can't handle all of this anymore. I've already been through way too much crap in my life to be able to deal with this." I tried to get out of Logan's grip but he wouldn't budge. "Let me go please Logan," I asked quietly.
"Where are you going?" He questioned, speaking quietly so only I could hear what he was saying. "Upstairs, to my room," I replied just as softly. "...Don't do anything stupid alright?" I sighed, knowing exactly what he was talking about. "I won't, promise," I said sincerely. "Okay." He let me go and I passed everyone, heading straight to the stairs.
I raced up the metal steps as fast as my body would allow me. I pulled the door open once I reached Level 2. I was panting heavily. I was sticky, wet and beyond angry. I just wanted to be alone. I passed Mrs. Knight in the hallway when she offered me a cupcake. I just headed towards the apartment. I slammed open the door, slamming it shut. I raced up the stairs and into my room.
Now matter how much I thought about it, I still couldn't fathom how one of the best days of my life turned into one of the worst so quickly.
Stephanie POV
I stood there along with everyone else as Carlos rapidly made his way up the stairs. I was in shock. I couldn't believe that Kendall and James actually had the audacity to do that. This whole event was to cheer Carlos up and to give him a fantastic birthday. Of course Idiot 1 and Idiot 2 had to go and ruin it.
Before I even registered what I was doing I stomped up to Kendall and shoved him, and the blonde staggered back into James.
"What's up with all the violence towards me today?" He asked, seemingly incredulous. I just glared daggers at him, silently wondering when he became such an idiot.
"Well what do you think?" I asked angrily, not even caring that most of the people who has been at the party were now trying to see what was going on. "How could you do that to him? He never did anything to you! He was finally happy again. You guys ruined his already tainted life and just when he starting to become himself again you guys had to go and be inconsiderate and mess it up!" I knew that right now I probably looked crazy but I couldn't bring myself to care. All that I cared about at the moment was Carlos and making sure that Kendall realized that what he did was wrong.
"I've said it once and I'll say it again, you are one of the most selfish, inconsiderate jerks that I've ever met. I have no idea what possessed you to take this to such an extreme level but right now, I couldn't care less. Now I'd really appreciate it if you went upstairs and apologized to Carlos- and meant it." I crossed my arms and looked at him with my furious hazel eyes, waiting for a response.
"No," he replied shortly. I blinked rapidly and leaned in slightly forward. "I'm sorry what? Did you just say 'no?'" I inquired. This time he looked at me incredulously. "Did I stutter?" He wondered rhetorically. "That's right I said no. Because you said to mean it and if I apologize I'm not going to mean it." I squeezed my eyes shut to keep myself from shouting all kinds of profanities in his face. I opened them and gazed back up to his bruising face. "Fine. But I really hope that you come to your senses and realize how wrong you are." He scoffed and looked over my shoulder, brushing past me as he seemed to find what he was searching for. "Whatever. Come on Jo, let's get out of here," he ordered, grabbing onto said girl's wrist. He looked stunned as she immediately pulled out of his grasp. "What are you doing Jo? I said 'let's go'."
"...No," she replied hesitantly, not looking at him. "What?" he questioned in shock. The disbelief was written all over his face. She looked up at him. "I said no," she told him defiantly, now appearing more bold and definite. "I'm done dealing with all of this Kendall. Whether you like it or not Carlos is my friend, and the way that you're treating him isn't right. I've accepted it and was turning the other cheek, but not anymore Kendall. This isn't something that should be ignored. I talked to you about it multiple times but you never listened- not once! And I'm not sure that I can deal with the new you, Kendall." Said blonde's face shifted from incredulity to confusion. "What are you talking about Jo?" Jo sighed and tucked a few strands of her golden hair behind her left ear.
"I'm talking about the old you: the compassionate, caring, sensitive, sweet, loyal, and helpful Kendall. I'm wondering where he went, because he was replaced by a mistrusting, detached, negligent and stony version of you. You hardly spent time any with me whenever I was free and wanted to do something. You just shrugged it off and almost completely ignored me. It hurt Kendall. And it all started when this whole thing came about. I'm not doing this anymore... I can't take the heartbreak."
Kendall stared at her with concern. "What are you saying Jo?" He asked quietly. Jo looked up from her gaze on the ground and peered at him. "I'm saying that I want to break up. But only if you keep treating Carlos like this. I want you to apologize to Carlos and genuinely mean it." Kendall seemed shocked for a second before he sobered up, looking Jo right in the face.
"Fine. Then I guess we're over." Jo staggered back a bit. Anyone with eyes could tell that she wasn't expecting that. She straightened up. "Fine," she agreed, her voice cracking. She cleared her throat briefly. "Have a good life." She turned away from him, soon after being embraced by Camille. I glared at him and he looked away when he noticed it. If looks could kill then he'd be dead 100 times over... and I would be his murderer.
"Rachael..." James said suddenly, looking worried and desperate. The curly haired brunette looked up at the sound of her name being called.
"You know James," she started. "There's a lot of talk about you around here. When people started talking about you possibly asking me out tons of different people cams over to me, telling me about you. And believe it or not James, not all of it was positive. Actually most of it wasn't. They said that you were conceited, egotistic, and more concerned with your appearance and yourself than anyone or anything else. But I didn't listen to them. Because I'm not that kind of person. I'd rather get to know the person and then make my own conclusions about them- not just go by what others say. And I'm glad that I got to know you. Because you were nice, sweet, honest and SO concerned with me and my well-being. I was beginning to wonder where all these people got these ideas about you. You were none of the things they claimed that you were. But then I heard of this thing with Carlos. I tried to talk to you about it but you wouldn't respond. Then you yelled at me. You told me that it was none of my business and that I should leave you alone." James looked down guiltily.
"I figured that the whole thing was just stressing you out and that I should slightly step aside and let everything settle itself out. I did that and you kept getting mad at me and your temper was short and I didn't get why you were so upset. I should've broken up with you, y'know. But I didn't because I give everyone second chances James. And obviously, you're no exception. But this is way more than two chances. I'm done too James. I'm not going to be with a guy that takes all his anger out on other people. Especially when it's me. There's no way that I'd disrespect myself like that." She shook her head angrily and stepped back, just as Jo did.
James still looked guilty but also looked pretty upset. Guess he has more emotions than his blonde buddy Kendall.
"Let's go check up on Carlos, guys," I pushed my way through the massive groups of people, Jo, Camille, Rachael, Katie and Logan at my heels.
I pressed the 'up' button as we clumped together around the doors of the elevator. Camille was still trying to console Jo while Katie was doing the same to Rachael, telling her that 'she did the right thing' and that 'James is just an egotistic butt-face.' As we waited I heard Kendall yell out to the audience that was at the scene.
"Okay, show's over. Get outta here... mind your own business..."
I rolled my hazel eyes. But as I did that, I couldn't help but notice that Logan was slightly off to the side, a faraway look on his face. As the elevator arrived I chose to stand next to him on the way up.
"What's up with you?" I questioned, examining his face. His brow was deeply furrowed and his frown lines were prominent on his young face. His normally friendly brown eyes were darkened, looking as if they were a frightening black colour. He turned to me and looked directly at me.
"I just don't get it," he began, sounding obviously upset. "Kendall and James are some of the nicest guys I've ever known. At least they were. They would never treat anyone like this, especially not their friends. But this whole thing... it just made me realize that no matter how much you think you know someone, you really don't know them." By now the doors had re-opened and we were all filing out if the elevator, walking slowly down the hallway.
"Unfortunately that's life Logie," I told him sadly. "And that's just how people are. Most of us are two-faced; we show our friends and family a completely different version of the real us. And we'll never know until it's exposed. Just like how it was now," I concluded. The brunet just nodded and let out a large sigh. I put a hand on his shoulder, giving if comforting squeeze. "I know that it's hard now, but we'll get through this. We're strong!" To this he let out a small smile. His expression quickly changed when the sound of a large SMASH followed by a few thuds rang out as we approached the apartment. The six of us exchanged quick and silent looks of worry before we all dashed the short distance to the door.
Logan hastily opened the door, examining the apartment to make sure that nothing was out if order. He let out a small, relieved sigh when he saw that nothing was out of the normal. That quickly changed when we all saw Carlos' beloved helmet on the ground, dented. When we peered at the wall, we collectively gasped when we saw that there was a large dent in the wall, right next to the picture Kendall, his Mom and Katie. It's just a hypothesis, but I'm guessing that Carlos was aiming at the already abused photo. It was swaying side to side rapidly, most likely from the force of the collision.
"Come on," I said, heading slowly up the stairs. Everyone followed. I knocked cautiously on the wooden door. When I was met by silence I knocked again, more aggressively this time. "Carlos?"
"What?" I heard a gruff, husky voice say from the other side of the door. "Can we come in?" I asked hesitantly. "...Okay," he replied so quietly that I almost didn't hear him. I looked to towards the others, all of them seemingly having the same questioning looks on their faces. I gave a subtle nod and pushed open the door.
A collective gasp escaped all of us as we slowly entered the room. On each of the four walls, were a multitude of pictures. Most of them were drawings but they were all different. Some were pencil sketches, others were coloured with pencil crayons. But they were all of different things. Fish, flowers, a sunset, mountains... They were all so beautiful. He must've put them up when he came to the apartment because I didn't see them this morning. And because he was in new clothes and his hair was all messed up and damp, I'm guessing that he also took a shower.
But the artwork that captivated me the most were the black charcoal drawings. They looked so delicate and were absolutely amazing. Not to mention realistic. I knew that Carlos liked to draw sometimes, but I didn't know that his artistic ability was so high!
There were also about a dozen paintings. Most of them were portraits of his family but there was one or two of him, Logan, Kendall, and James. The first one that I saw was one of them when they were about five or six. Kendall and James were each on one the side and Carlos and Logan were in the middle. The tallest of the four each had a large water gun while the other two had nothing, so they were left defenseless. James was squirting Logan while Kendall was squirting Carlos. Carlos and Logan were both screaming, they're eyes closed as they were trying (and failing) to defend themselves from the water attacks. Kendall and James were laughing hysterically, and although they were the victims of a water raid, I could tell that Carlos and Logan were having just a good a time as their attackers. I smiled fondly. They looked so happy. Plus they were really cute kids.
In the next one, they looked to be about ten or eleven. They were sitting on a black leather couch and they each had different coloured video game controllers. From left to right it was James, Carlos, Logan and then Kendall. James looked like he was pushing Carlos to the side with his shoulder, sending him into Logan who was pushing back in response. Kendall was smiling widely, pushing Logan in the back. Carlos seemed like he was trying to push James off of him but was failing epically. James just had his tongue stuck out at him, mocking Carlos. They all looked just as happy as they had in the previous painting.
But as I turned towards Carlos and peered at what he was drawing my eyes widened.
"What are you doing?" I asked loudly, causing everyone else to look up from what they were doing.
"Drawing," he replied shortly, returning his eyes to the paper. "Well yeah, but what?" I questioned again, although I knew exactly what it was. "Kendall and James," he stated bluntly. True to his word were Kendall and James on a piece of paper that he was drawing on. But the thing that was out of place was that Kendall was in crutches and James was in a wheelchair. Both of their bodies were littered with bruises and scrapes, a few bandages on each of them. James' arm was in a painful looking cast and Kendall's leg was the same. Both of them had pained looks on their faces, their eyes seeming to beg to be let out of the pain they were in. I smirked at the picture briefly. It's actually a situation that I'd personally like to put them in myself. I quickly frowned when I realized that drawing violent pictures were in no way part of Carlos' gentle nature.
"Dude, drawing them all beat up isn't helping anyone," I stated, sitting in front of Carlos on the bed, my back resting against the wall that the bed was pushed up against. He scoffed in response.
"Well it is keeping me from going back down there and hitting Kendall again." My eyes widened, along with the other guests of the room. It was at the moment everyone followed my lead and sat on the bed. Somehow all seven of us managed to fit on the twin-sized bed.
"Okay, and I get that. Personally I'd like to hurt them as well but this... this isn't like you," I told him, knowing how I sounded completely worried and out of place. Carlos sighed heavily, dropping his pencil and sketchpad into his lap.
"Yes it is," he responded. I just raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Fine. When I'm upset no, I don't draw people with bruises and scars and in hospital beds but I do... I guess you could say, draw out my feelings." I cocked my head to the side, a little confused. "What do you mean?" He pointed to one of the pictures on the far wall.
"See that one of Roxy standing up, dancing with her tongue out?" He asked. I nodded. "Yeah," I replied, wondering where he was going with this. "Well I drew that when I was happy. My dog always makes me happy, no matter what. I drew the koi fish, the park, and the sunset when I was happy. They're all things that make feel happy, calm, at ease. I drew the top of the staircase when I was feeling hopeful because I felt that I had overcome anything that got in my way... just going up. I made that painting of the four of us playing video games when I was sad." I looked at him. "I don't understand," I admitted. "I was sad because when I saw the picture it reminded me of how happy we were and how unhappy I was at the time. And then I realized that the possibility of that never happening again was very high." As he explained, he gazed over at the painting, not taking his dark brown eyes off of the piece of art. The orbs were full as so many different emotions: anger, sadness, remorse, relief, longing... and that's just a few. "I don't really draw these kinds of things like this when I'm angry though. I just... I don't know what compelled me to draw this." He let out a loud sigh, closing the sketchbook and tossing it onto the desk.
We all just sat there on the bed for a few minutes before Katie spoke up. "You know what you did wasn't wrong," she told him, sounding monotonous. "Kendall was wrong." The eleven year old let out a scoff. "He and James didn't have any right to do that. It was sick and wrong and he deserved that punch- James too. So don't worry about it too much, okay?" She informed, trying to make sure that he didn't feel too guilty.
"Thanks Katie." I could tell that Carlos was about to say something else when a hesitant knock interrupted him. "Go away," he called, drawling out the word. Katie and I rolled our eyes at the same time.
"Come in!" We called, Carlos looking at us as if we were crazy. When the door opened we all sat wide-eyed, mouths agape.
Because standing awkwardly in the doorway, was James.
a.n: Yay! Slight cliffy. I hope you guys liked this chappy!
Hey readers guess what… this story is almost done. L. I just realized that. Only a few more chapters left. I won't get into details because that's too painful, but I'm just giving a slight heads-up.
See in the next chapter!
Later peepz!